1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function apparatus having one or more capabilities of the above devices.
2. Related Art
Image forming apparatuses are known in which units such as image forming units and drive units are supported between a pair of side walls that form part of the body of the apparatus. In this type of image forming apparatus, the image forming units, drive units, and the like are installed in the apparatus so as to reduce the overall size of the package during shipping.
However, with such an arrangement, any impact to the apparatus during shipping may cause the side walls to deform even temporarily, thereby displacing the units or at worst dislodging them altogether.
Various approaches have been tried to prevent such dislodgment, such as reinforcing the side walls to improve rigidity, or using a binder to fix the units in place during shipping alone (see, for example, JP-2008-58342-A and JP-5062276-B).
Provision of a reinforcing member as described above may prevent deformation of the apparatus body and therefore reduce displacement of units. However, to completely prevent deformation of the apparatus body is difficult even with a reinforcing member.